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Educating infants: 7 challenges preschool teachers may face

Infants are beings bubbling with energy, and teaching them can be a delightful experience. Some might even say that interacting with them is like a breath of fresh air. But what about having this interaction daily? Is it just as refreshing? Dealing with infants can be very draining. It isn’t easy to keep up with their energy. Preschool teachers have a huge responsibility of providing them with the right developmental opportunities. Performing well amidst all the chaos can pose many challenges for them and you. Let us shed some light on 7 of the challenges you might face as a childhood educator or preschool teacher.

Catching students’ attention 

Catching and retaining an infant’s attention is close to impossible. Their eagerness to investigate does not let them focus on one object for a long time. They are always ready to turn their attention towards the next best thing in sight. In such circumstances, the teacher has to put in extra effort to keep them focused on a task for some time. To top this off, imagine a room full of individuals like this. They all have different interests and may not be attracted to the same things. There are several ways to retain an infant’s attention. The challenge here is for teachers to be prepared to go that extra mile to achieve this. 

Completing the school curriculum

Besides handling infants, other challenges can come from the school facilities and curriculum execution. We spoke about retaining the attention of kids with different personalities above. Teachers need to design a lesson plan to capture every child’s attention successfully.  It Is also important to keep following the standardized curriculum during this. To equip you with the right knowledge to do this more efficiently, a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education will be of great help. Planning a lesson for infants can take a few hours and loads of creativity. Such mental activity is undoubtedly draining for preschool teachers. 

Times have changed substantially now. Children prefer technology over books in today’s time. With a shift in their interest, there should also be a more technological intensive shift in the school’s facilities. However, this is not the case. The availability of other resources might also be scarce. This does not let teachers execute the curriculum to the best of their abilities. The creativity that depends on technology and materialistic resources will be impossible to attain. 

Keeping parents in the loop 

It is essential to keep parents updated about their child’s progress and performance. Involving parents in earlier years of a student’s education is vital for their development. This, too, is the teacher’s responsibility. Communicating the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests to their parents will give them an idea of how to support their children. Whether the kids will reach their full potential or not depends on this support. 

Imagine updating parents about their child’s progress every day. It must be a hectic task, given that all parents perceive information differently. Their priorities are different too. Some parents do not appreciate being informed about their kid’s bad performance. Others might positively take this criticism and work towards it. This process can not afford a single wrong move. At this point, a preschool teacher’s plate is already full. But there’s more. 

Recognition is too long of a shot 

Common people do not pay this occupation the respect and recognition it deserves. They perceive it as more of a “playtime” than an actual job that requires hard work. However, in actuality, the job is one of the most important ones in shaping the minds of tomorrow. Preschool teachers are laying the foundation blocks of an infant’s life. Teachers are role models in these developmental stages of a child’s life and the takeaways from these initial years of their lives matter a lot. However, preschool teachers are not appreciated or recognized for their effort to make sure they bring out the best in every child. 

This lack of value can be frustrating as it burns down any bridges for movement up the hierarchy for a teacher. Moreover, with a schedule filled with work, teachers can’t pursue personal interests or think of alternate career options. Given the amount of energy and time that goes into this job, preschool teachers must yearn for some recognition. However, they are unable to escape shadows of insignificance when compared to teachers who teach higher grades. 

Low wages 

Even after all the hassle and struggles, preschool teachers are severely underpaid. The national average salary for a preschool teacher in the United States is $16. This is too low compared to other occupations and even different levels of the same one. A preschool teacher’s job requires both physical and mental effort. But the pay level does not do justice to their endeavors. This leads to a lack of motivation to do better. The result is a decrease in the number of highly skilled teachers in early learning programs. 

Paperwork 

Recoding all details about a child has to be the most time-consuming part of this job. Piles of paperwork can include attendance, performance and progress reports, and any noticeable problems a child faces. Ensuring all paperwork is up to date and communicated to parents and admin is an everyday task that will likely stress a preschool teacher out. 

Observing children 

Effective and proper communication is something infants struggle with. sometimes it is impossible to decipher why a child is upset or underperforming. A teacher should be able to observe a student and get to the bottom of the issue. In modern times these problems can range from parental issues to bullying. The art of understanding an infant’s issues is one that all preschool teachers have to master. And it is an understatement to say that it is tough. 

Conclusively, it is safe to say that all days are not the same when you are a preschool teacher. Some days might be burdening, but your students can lighten others up. What makes this job easier is that your students are genuine and innocent. This also means that you have the huge responsibility of molding them into bold and brave individuals. Our advice is to let minor positive things overshadow the negatives sometimes but never stop fighting for your rights